Biodegradation of Carbofuran by Fungi Isolated from Local Agricultural Soil

Three carbofuran degrading fungal strains were isolated from local agricultural soil. These belongs to the genus Aspergillus and were identified as A. flavus, A. nidulans and A. niger. Among these three strains, A. niger showed highest carbofuran degrading ability with 98.99% after 6^th d in Czapek dox broth. Carbofuran-7 phenol was detected as the major metabolite with M⁺ 164 m/z during 98%, 96% and 95% degradation of carbofuran in A. nidulans, A. flavus, and A. niger at 6^th, 9^th and 10^th d after pesticide addition, respectively.